European journal of pain : EJP
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In this study, 54 patients suffering from chronic cervicobrachialgia (mean pain duration 7 years) were treated with radiofrequency lesioning of the cervical spinal dorsal root ganglion (RF-DRG). The aim of the study was to investigate whether psychological variables would be predictive for the changes in pain intensity after medical treatment. ⋯ The level of catastrophizing before treatment appeared to predict 10% of the changes in pain intensity after treatment. Changes in pain intensity after RF-DRG were positively correlated with changes in psychosocial dysfunction and negative self-efficacy.
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To what degree can facial expression scales help children differentiate between the sensory and emotional aspects of the pain experience? This study examined the relationship between children's ratings on the Faces Pain Scale (an intensity measure), the Facial Affective Scale (an affective measure), and a paired mechanical visual analogue (MVAS) method for measuring the intensity and unpleasantness of pain. It was predicted that ratings on the Faces Pain Scale should correlate best with the MVAS measure of pain intensity rather than unpleasantness. Likewise, ratings on the Facial Affective Scale should correlate best with the MVAS measure of pain unpleasantness (assumed to reflect an emotional dimension) rather than intensity. ⋯ No systematic age effects were observed. In conclusion, the Faces Pain Scale and the Facial Affective Scale may partly measure different aspects of the pain experience in children, although it remains to be determined to what degree the obtained differences are clinically meaningful. Copyright 1999 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
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Pressure pain threshold (PPT) asymmetry of the left and right third digits was assessed in 12 right-handed and 12 left-handed subjects using an automatised pressure algometer. A clear PPT asymmetry was found in right-handed participants, while left-handed participants revealed no PPT asymmetry. The PPT asymmetry of right-handed participants was due to a reduced PPT or increased pain sensitivity at the left hand. ⋯ PPT asymmetry was not associated with cerebral laterality assessed with these tests. We conclude that PPT asymmetry is associated with handedness, but neither PPT asymmetry nor handedness are closely associated with measures of cerebral laterality. Copyright 1999 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
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Dose-dependency and time course of hyperalgesia and erythema following UVA (16.8 and 36 J/cm(2)) and UVB (one and three times the minimum erythema threshold) irradiation was investigated in 10 healthy human subjects. Skin patches (1.5 cm in diameter) on the ventral side of the upper leg were irradiated with UVA or UVB light. Hyperaemia (Laser Doppler flowmetry, infrared thermography), thermal hyperalgesia to radiant heat stimuli, and mechanical hyperalgesia to controlled impact stimuli were tested at 1, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 96 h after irradiation. ⋯ It is concluded that UVB- but not UVA-irradiation is a suitable experimental model of subacute thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia. The different time courses of erythema and hyperalgesia indicate that inflammatory mediators responsible for vasodilatation are not identical with those inducing hyperalgesia. Copyright 1999 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.